Magical Figure
Unknown Artist
ca. 1802–1550 B.C.
Medium
Clay (unfired)
Dimensions
H. 6.7 cm (2 5/8 in.); W. 3.5 cm (1 3/8 in.)
Classification
figure, magical, execration, tablet
Period
Late Middle Kingdom–Second Intermediate Period
Department
Egyptian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1933
Accession Number
33.1.126
Tags
Art Historical Context
This petite *Magical Figure*, crafted from unfired clay around 1802–1550 B.C., hails from Egypt's Late Middle Kingdom to Second Intermediate Period (Dynasty 13– Intermediate Period). Standing just 6.7 cm tall, its small scale suggests it was a portable amulet or votive object, likely carried for protection or used in private rituals. The use of unfired clay—a fragile, perishable medium—makes its survival remarkable, as most such figures would have disintegrated over millennia. In ancient Egyptian belief, small figurines like this embodied magical powers, often invoked to ward off evil, ensure...